


Coming Around

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Hallucinations, Light Angst, M/M, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 02:09:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17173832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: It's 4 months after the hunters have been dealt with, and Theo is working on piecing his life back together. He has a job, an apartment, and has been taking night classes to get his GED. Along with that, there are still the nightmares and hallucinations Theo has been having about Tara. Then Scott comes back into town for his summer break from college, and together they start working through their issues and trying to heal.





	Coming Around

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyVisenya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyVisenya/gifts).



> My gift for LadyVisenya for Sceo Secret Santa. I hope you like it ♥

Theo sighs as he stares at the words on the page in front of him. They’re starting to blur at this point, and make less since the more he looks at them. Which isn’t exactly helping him since he’s trying to study. He has his last test to take for his GED tomorrow. After he’s passed it, he’ll be done and left to panic and figure out where he wants to go from here. It’s still a step he’s been needing to take. He wants to show people he’s serious about staying on the right path, himself more than anyone.

He sits back in his chair and runs a hand down his face. Staring at the page isn’t going to get him anywhere. He needs a break. He knows if there’s anything he doesn’t know by now, he’s not going to know it in time for his test in 12 hours. Better to let himself rest. It’s something his teachers have been telling him and his peers repeatedly. Theo had scoffed at first. It’s easy for them to tell them they need to rest. They’re not the ones trying to study and pass exams. But the first time Theo had actually let himself get a good night's sleep before a test and aced it, he’d taken them a little more seriously.

Theo feels a sense of relief once the test is over. They say he could know by tonight if he’s passed. He certainly hopes so. He doesn’t want to spend any longer than he has to waiting anxiously to hear the results. He felt good while he was taking it, but he knows that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. He has a moment to wish he was old enough to drink, because he’d like nothing more than to go to the bar and get spectacularly drunk while he waits to hear. Or at least as drunk as he could get. He’s never actually tried. He’s seen far too many people making idiots of themselves while drunk. But he thinks just this once he wouldn’t mind it.

Instead, he drives himself to the store and settles on buying some groceries. He lets himself splurge a little on dinner for tonight. It can either be a reward or comfort food. He’s hoping for the former. He needs something good to happen. He’s been working full time at a diner while taking night classes just so he had enough money to pay for his shitty one room apartment and enough food to help him survive. It’s not much, but right now it’s enough. He just wants more. He’s not going to go as far as to say he deserves it. He knows he probably doesn’t. But by now he’s worked hard enough to have earned this one good thing.

It had taken him almost 4 months to find a job, since most places in the town didn’t seem too keen on hiring him. The diner had been his last effort. It had been weeks at that point since he’d had a warm meal or a proper shower. He’d walked in, feeling bone tired and weary as his eyes scanned the diner. They didn’t have a sign up saying they were hiring but he’d still gone up to the counter to ask. The woman at the front had eyed him for a moment, before telling him to wait. She’d returned with a man named Tim, who Theo later found out owned the place. He’d asked Theo a few questions, ranging from where he lived: “right now, out of my truck, sir,” to what his plans were: “I’m really not sure. Right now I just need a job so I can find a place to live and buy food.”

Tim had agreed to take Theo on, under the condition that he would take night classes and get his GED. Theo hadn’t been sure at first. He’d known he should get his GED, but at the time it had seemed like too much. But he’d needed the job, so he’d agreed. It had been one of his better decisions. Tim had even helped Theo find a decently priced apartment. Even though the mattress sucked, Theo still slept better in that bed that first night than he had in months. Not that it lasted.

Once he got comfortable, he started letting his guard down. Which made it easy for the nightmares to return. Along with that, he started seeing Tara in every girl that had hair just the right shade of red. It doesn't happen often, but still enough for Theo to find it unnerving. It makes sense that now that he’s trying to put his life back together all the wrongs he’s done would come back to haunt him. Not that he ever had much of a life before. But he’s working towards having one now, even if he’s having to fight off his demons at every turn.

He almost laughs at the how literal that thought becomes when he rounds the corner and sees Scott McCall at the other end of the aisle. Theo’s in the process of backing away when Scott lifts his head, and their eyes meet. If he tried to leave now, it would be obvious why. And he’s not going to be the first one to turn tail and run.

“Theo,” Scott says, putting down the lettuce he’d been examining and stepping closer. “What are you doing here?”

“I imagine the same thing as you,” Theo says. “Even I need to eat.”

Scott rubs the back of his neck and gives an awkward laugh, “Yeah, of course. Sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t know you were still in town.”

“Really?” Theo asks. “I thought you’d be keeping tabs on me.”

“You’re not our enemy anymore, Theo,” Scott tells him. “You showed us you could be an ally when we were dealing with the hunters.”

Theo nods, and looks away. He’s not sure what he’s supposed to say to that. Thank you? He doesn’t know what exactly he would be thanking Scott for. His eyes move back down the aisle and he sucks in a breath when he catches sight of bright red hair. He’s backing up and away from her, his mind swimming with images of Tara plunging her hand into his chest.

“No not here,” he whispers. He tries to back further away, only to hit something solid. His heart starts beating rapidly and his breathing becomes shallow as he realizes he’s cornered. He can’t escape her.

He flinches when he feels a hand on his arm, and someone says his name. It takes a moment for him to realize it’s not Tara’s voice, but Scott’s. He blinks, and looks down the aisle at the redhead, realizing it’s not Tara, but some random woman, who now looks town between frightened and concerned.

“Theo, you need to calm down,” Scott says, his voice much closer than before.

“Sorry,” Theo says, shaking his head. “I thought…”

“What?”

“Nothing,” Theo says. He’s not sure how he would explain what he thought he saw. At least here. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing,” Scott says, his voice taking on the familiar tone of concern. “You were panicking about something. What is it?”

“It’s not important,” Theo mutters. “I should…” Theo’s phone pings loudly and he jumps. He looks down at it to see he has a new email notification. His results are in. He’s tempted to wait, and check the results when he’s alone, but he needs to know. He opens the email, feeling nervous for a whole different reason. Then he’s letting out a nervous laugh and grinning up at Scott. “I passed.”

“Passed what?” Scott questions, looking genuinely curious.

“I was going for me GED, and I took the last test a few hours ago,” Theo tells him. “And I passed. I got my GED.”

“That’s awesome,” Scott says, grinning widely and clapping him on the back. “I had no idea you were going for your GED.”

Theo shrugs, “Well I didn’t graduate high school, and I needed to do something. And it was one of the agreements I made with my boss. He’d hire me and help me find a place to live, and I’d get my GED. I can’t wait to tell him.”

The tension from before has momentarily lifted from his shoulders, replaced with relief and happiness. He’s struck for a moment with a desire to go out and celebrate, but then he remembers he doesn’t have anyone to celebrate with. He pushes the thought away. He’ll buy his groceries, and then go home and make himself dinner. Tomorrow he’ll go into work and be able to tell Tim he passed.

“What are you going to do now?” Scott asks him, following after him as he makes his way towards the check out.

“I don’t know,” Theo admits. “Maybe take some online classes and work on getting my degree.”

“That’s great,” Scott says. “But I was talking more immediate future. You going to celebrate?”

Theo shakes his head, “I don’t have anyone, given that I’m not exactly anyone’s favorite person. Which is fine. I’ll get it. I’m just going to go home and make myself dinner and some pie.”

“Theo…”

Theo waves him off, “Really Scott, it’s okay. I don’t need anything. Just passing is enough.”

Scott doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t try to argue. “Okay. Well I should go. I’m meeting my mom for dinner. It was good seeing you.”

“You too,” Theo says, surprised by how true the words are. And that Scott seemed to mean his statement. He’s lost in thought as he loads his groceries on the conveyor belt and moves forward to pay.

Theo’s surprised when he gets a call from Scott a few days later asking him if he can meet him at his house. He expects it to be pack business. That’s usually the only time anyone contacts him, when they need something. It figures that there would be a threat to the town right when things are starting to look up.

Theo knocks, and opens the door when there’s a muffled “come in!” from inside the house. He stops dead in his tracks when he enters the living room to see the pack there, standing underneath a banner that reads “CONGRATULATIONS THEO!”

“What is all this?” Theo asks, his eyes searching the room until they land on a grinning Scott.

Scott steps up and pulls him into a tight hug, before pulling back. “We wanted to help you celebrate.”

“You did?” Theo asks, his eyes moving from Scott to the rest of the pack.

Liam rolls his eyes, “Obviously. I can’t believe you didn’t think to tell us you were getting your GED.”

“It never came up,” Theo says. “It’s not as if we really talk about anything personal.”

“You still should have said something,” Liam says, swatting lightly at his arm. “I wouldn’t have bugged you so much about patrolling and taking turns on watch if I knew.”

“It’s fine,” Theo assures him. “It’s not as if anything ever happened. I used that time to study.”

“Nice to know if anything did decide to attack you would have been on the alert,” Stiles says.

“I would have,” Theo argues. “Just because I was studying doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have known if something was coming. Mason and Corey don’t seem to have any issues noticing a problem when they’re patrolling together, and they’re probably more distracted than I ever was.”

Mason and Corey both start to stammer out denials, but Liam just fondly rolls his eyes. Theo’s relieved when the focus shifts away from him, and he’s left standing there with Scott.

“You really didn’t have to do this,” Theo tells him.

Scott smiles and squeezes his shoulder, “I know, but I wanted to. _We_ wanted to.”

Scott gets called away, and Theo is left standing there, watching as the others interact. Even now, he’s still unsure of his place here. He’s grateful when Melissa announces the food is ready and they all make their way into the kitchen. Theo gets his food first, after Scott insists since it’s his party.

Theo takes his plate, and sits down at the table, where Scott soon joins him, followed by Stiles and Derek.

“I still can’t believe no one knew you were getting your GED,” Stiles says, before picking up his sandwich and chewing thoughtfully.

“I knew,” Derek says, causing the focus to shift to him.

“What? How?”

“You told Derek?” Liam ask, from across the room.

“No,” Theo says, his brow furrowing as he eyes Derek.

Derek rolls his eyes, “I saw him going into the building one night, and asked someone what was held there during that time. It was either night classes or AA, and I doubt Theo’s an alcoholic.”

“You never said anything,” Stiles says, tone accusing.

“It wasn’t my place,” Derek replies. “I figured if he wanted people to know he would tell them. Now he has.”

Theo gives him a grateful smile. He doesn’t know Derek well, having only met him a few times at pack meetings and the times he’s seen him around town, but Derek has always been nice to him. He’s never looked at him in suspicion or distrust, and Theo has no doubt he’s heard about what he’s done from Stiles.

Then again, Theo doesn’t notice any of the former animosity or wariness from the pack. When he first got here, he’d figured this had all been Scott. He’d imagined the alpha having to sit his pack down and explain why they were going to do this, and that may have happened. But maybe there wasn’t as much of a struggle to get them to agree as he’d imagined.

“You alright?” Liam asks, kicking slightly at his chair. He hasn’t moved into the living room where there’s room to sit, and is instead leaning against the wall as he eats his food.

“Yeah,” Theo says, smiling apologetically. “I was just thinking.”

“Well don’t think too hard,” Liam says. “Your brain probably isn’t on all cylinders yet after working to get that GED.”

“If it ever was,” Stiles says, his tone teasing.

“Theo’s smart,” Scott says.

“Yeah, he was smart enough to know what buttons of ours to push,” Malia chimes in.

Theo tenses for a moment, and he feels Scott shift closer. He does his best to put on his usual smirk as he looks at the pack. “I wish I could put it all on my genius, but some of you are just easy to read.”

“I’m not,” Liam announces proudly, earning a few laughs from the others. “I’m _not!_ ”

Mason claps a hand down on his shoulder, “Liam buddy, I’d hate to tell you this, but you are probably the easiest.”

“It’s true,” Stiles says. “You’re like an open book. You could never go undercover.”

“I could,” Liam mutters, stabbing angrily at his potato salad. “I’ll show you.”

“I believe you can do it,” Scott says, ever the loyal and optimistic one. It seems to do the trick though, because Liam relaxes. “I’m sure Theo would be willing to show you a few things.”

Scott turns his gaze to him, and gives him an encouraging nod. Theo clears his throat and nods back, “It can’t hurt.”

Scott’s answering grin is blinding. Theo can’t help but grin back.

After lunch, they all head into the living room to watch movies. Theo stands there for a moment, watching as the pack take their places. He catches Scott’s eye, who smiles and pats the spot next to him on the couch. It’s a tight squeeze between him and Liam, and Theo is worried for a moment if they’re going to want him so close. But then Scott puts an arm around his shoulders and pulls him closer.

“You need to relax,” Scott tells him. “We’re not suddenly going to change our minds. We want you here.”

Scott doesn’t remove his arm, and Theo is glad. It’s a comforting weight against his shoulders. When the movie starts, Theo shifts a bit, allowing himself to settle more comfortably against Scott. If Theo’s head happens to rest on Scott’s shoulder, no one seems to notice or mind.

It’s mid-way through the movie when Theo catches a flash of red hair pass down the hallway. He tenses, holding his breath as he waits. Tara’s familiar voice doesn’t come, and for a moment he thinks he imagined it. Then he sees it again. Her head is ducked as she slowly walks into the room, maneuvering through all the bodies.

Theo sits up, barely noticing as Scott’s arm falls from his shoulders. He’s waiting for her attack. But then the light comes on and he realizes he’s not looking at Tara, but at Lydia. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He can feel Scott’s gaze on him, but doesn’t look his way. He can’t. Instead he gets to his feet, and quickly walks through the house, and through the backdoor. When the cool night air hits him it’s a relief. He sits down on the top step of the porch and rests his head in his hands.

Even here he can’t escape her. He wonders if he ever will. Maybe this is just proof that he’s not allowed to have nice things.

“Theo?” Scott’s voice is quiet and hesitant as he steps up next to him. “Is everything okay?”

Theo lifts his head, but keeps it turned as he brings a hand up to hastily wipe at his eyes. The ‘yes’ is on the tip of his tongue, but he can’t make it come out. He’s tired of lying to himself and everyone else. “No.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t deserve this,” Theo says, gesturing back towards the house where he can hear the party still going on. “Any of it.”

“Why not?” Scott asks, taking a seat next to him on the step.

Theo scoffs, “You know why. After everything I did to you and the pack, you should hate me. Not be throwing me parties.”

Scott is quiet for a moment, so long that Theo thinks he’s just accepted what Theo has said as the truth. Then he speaks, and Theo can tell he’s carefully choosing his words.

“You did do a lot of bad things, but I also know you’ve suffered because of that. I might not know exactly what happened to you while you were… away. But it changed you. I can tell. We all can. You’re not the guy you were back then. I think that people deserve to be given a second chance. We’ve certainly given Peter more than his fair share, and I think it’s important you get one too.”

“Thank you,” Theo says, his voice soft.

Scott scoots closer, until they’re sitting shoulder to shoulder. Theo can’t help but lean into the contact. “You don’t have to thank me,” Scott says. “It’s the right thing to do. And Theo?”

“Yeah?”

“If you ever need someone to talk to about what happened, or anything really, I’m here to listen,” Scott tells him. “I might not be in town all the time, but my phone is always on. And if you can’t talk to me, you should find someone you can talk to. Whatever happened is obviously eating away at you. You can try and ignore it all you want, but it’s there.”

“I know,” Theo sighs. The offer is tempting, but he still feels too raw. And he’s aware of the pack still inside. “I know I should talk about it. Just maybe not tonight.”

“Whenever you feel up for it, I’m here.”

 

When Theo does finally gather up the courage to talk about what happened, it’s after a particularly bad nightmare. This time rather than just taking Theo’s heart, Theo had to watch as Tara plunged her hand into Scott’s chest and ripped his heart out. So of course Theo needs to hear Scott’s voice to make sure he’s really okay. He doesn’t even think about what time it is, not until Scott is answering the phone, his voice sounding tired as it comes down the line.

“Theo?”

“I’m sorry,” Theo says, his words coming out sounding choked. “I’m sorry.”

“What is it?” Scott asks. “What happened?”

“Tara,” Theo says. “I couldn’t stop her from taking your heart. I’m sorry.”

“Theo,” Scott says, sounding more awake. “Tara didn’t take my heart. I’m okay.”

“She just wants me to believe that,” Theo says. “It’s another trick of hers. She wants me to think you’re okay and then she’ll be back to take your heart again before taking hers back from me.”

“Does she always do that?”

“She’s been coming for her heart since I got sent with her,” Theo says, shuddering as he remembers the way her cold hand grabbed his leg and then dragged him under ground. “She’ll never stop. She’ll never let me go.”

“Wherever she is, she can’t get to you now, Theo,” Scott tells him. “You’re safe. We’re all safe.”

Theo takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, trying to calm down. “Can you just talk to me?”

“What about?”

“Anything,” Theo says. “I just need something else to think about.”

Scott doesn’t say anything for a moment, but then he starts speaking, talking about his time spent at college. He talks about his classes, the ones he’s liked and the ones he hasn’t. He talks about the people there, and how being at college is so much different than high school. He tells him that even though he loves being away at school that he still misses home and wishes he could visit more often. He keeps talking, even though Theo doesn’t say a word, and starts to drift back asleep to the sound of Scott’s voice.

As sleep starts to take him, Theo hears a quiet, “I won’t let her take you,” but he’s too close to sleep to know if it’s real or not.

When Theo wakes up, the first thing he registers is the smell of food. It takes a few seconds for him to realize why that should be a problem. When it does, he sits up, his eyes flashing and a growl escaping him.

Then Scott’s voice reaches him from the kitchen, “Relax, Theo. It’s just me.”

Theo frowns to himself as he throws his covers off and slowly gets out of bed. He makes his way down the hall towards the kitchen, where Scott is indeed standing. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought you could use a hot breakfast,” Scott tells him, placing a plate filled with eggs, bacon, and pancakes down in front of him. There’s also a pitcher of orange juice in the center of the table.

“How did you get in?”

“I may have picked the lock,” Scott says, giving him a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I just wanted to surprise you, and let you sleep as much as you could. I know you had a rough night last night.”

Theo nods. He can’t be mad at Scott for breaking in. Not when he did it just to make him breakfast because he was worried about him. “I didn’t know you knew how to pick a lock.”

“Stiles taught me.”

Theo shakes his head, “I’m not the least bit surprised Stiles knows how. The little delinquent.”

“The knowledge has come in handy more than a few times,” Scott says, taking the seat across from Theo.

“Oh I’m sure it has,” Theo says. He pours himself a glass of orange juice and takes a sip. He waits until after he’s taken a few bites of the food before speaking again. “This is great, Scott. But you really didn’t have to do all of this.”

“I wanted to,” Scott says. “I umm… I know what it can be like after a bad nightmare. It can leave you feeling off. So I wanted to make sure you knew you weren’t alone.”

Theo ducks his head as he takes another sip of his juice. “Thank you.”

Scott waves him off, “You don’t have to thank me for being decent. You’re… I care about you. And you worried me last night. I guess I’m here for a partially selfish reason, because I needed to see for myself that you were okay.”

“And if I’m not?”

“Then it’s okay too,” Scott says. “That just means we’re going to have to work on getting you there. I understand if you can’t talk to me about it yet, and while I hope one day you will, I don’t think this is something that can wait. So…” he pulls out his wallet and then a slip of paper, which he slides across the table to Theo. “Derek told me about a support group. One that’s full of other people like us. Meaning they know about werewolves and other creatures. I haven’t been there myself, but Derek has. He says it helped a lot.”

“Would you go with me?” Theo asks, the words leaving his mouth before he can stop them. “I just… I don’t want to go alone. And I do want to tell you. And…” he lifts his eyes to meet Scott’s. “I don’t think I’m the only one this could help.”

Scott studies his face for a moment, before he nods. He slides his hand across the table to cover Theo’s. “I’ll go.”

It’s not easy. It opens up a lot of old wounds for the both of them, but along with that it helps them face all the bullshit they’ve dealt with, and work towards putting it behind them. It’s not a quick fix, but Theo doesn’t think either of them were expecting it to be. There are a lot of tears, and more than a few arguments, but after a few months Theo finds himself feeling lighter.

He also feels closer to Scott than before. Now that they’ve actually talked things out, both in their support group and alone, there’s a new sense of understanding between them. Something that isn’t there with anyone else. Theo always knew what the pack went through, what _Scott_ went through, but he never grasped it. Not really. He now has a new appreciation for the alpha.

He knows this isn’t going to last though. Scott is due to go back to college next month. The realization that he’s going to be left here alone, and lose whatever closeness he has with Scott hits him hard. He winds up texting Scott, telling him he’s not feeling up for going to the support group that night. If he expected that to be it, and for Scott to drop it, he was wrong.

Scott shows up fifteen minutes after Theo sent the text and starts banging on the door, demanding to be let in. Theo sighs, and rolls off the couch. He opens the door and then turns away, falling back onto the couch. “I don’t see why you even bothered knocking. You have a key now.”

“Maybe so,” Scott says, sitting down next to him on the couch. He leaves space between them, something he wouldn’t normally do. “But I’m not going to force myself in here if you don’t want me.”

“So if I told you to leave…”

“I would,” Scott says. “But I really don’t think you want me to.”

“I don’t,” Theo says, still not looking his way. He knows the moment he meets Scott’s eyes, something in him is going to break. He’s not ready for that yet. “I don’t want you to leave, but you’re going to. We both know that.”

Scott is silent for a moment. Then he’s shifting closer, leaning over Theo and grabbing him by the chin until Theo has no choice but to meet his gaze. “We’re not just talking about me leaving the apartment, are we?”

“You know we’re not,” Theo mutters. “We’re talking about you going back to college next month, and whatever this thing is between us going with it.”

Scott sighs and rests his forehead against Theo’s, “Theo…”

“Don’t tell me nothing is going to change,” Theo says. “We both know that’s not true.”

“You’re right,” Scott agrees. “Something is going to change. But I’d hoped…”

“What?”

“I was going to ask you to come with me,” Scott says. He moves his head back so he can look down at Theo more clearly.

“I can’t,” Theo says. “I can’t just up and leave.”

“Why not?” Scott asks him. “You hate this apartment. You’re on a monthly lease. So at the end of the month you could move in with me at my moms and then when it’s time you’ll come with me to college. You can take online classes like you were planning, and get a job. And we’ll be…”

“What?” Theo asks, the word nothing more than a whisper.

“Together,” Scott finishes.

“That’s what you want?”

“It is,” Scott says, running his thumb along Theo’s jaw. “Is that something you want?”

Theo kisses him. It’s just a quick press of lips, before he’s pulling back, and looking at Scott with wide eyes. “Please tell me I wasn’t reading that wrong and I’m not about to get punched in the face.”

“You weren’t reading it wrong,” Scott smiles and places soft kiss to his lips. “So does this mean you’ll come with me?”

Theo knows it’s crazy, but it’s also something he wants. He wants away from this place, and to be able to have a decent life, and be happy. To be with Scott. It’s something he’s been wanting for a while, but he’s just been too afraid to admit it.

“Yeah,” Theo says, smiling up at him. “I’ll come with you.”


End file.
